Brake mechanism for winding reels



Nov. 1, 1938. A 'SPENCER v 2,135,154

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR WINDING REELS Filed Dec. 28, 195e; v s sheets-sheet 2 INV EN TOR.

/f? @verace/1" BY A ATTORNEY Nov. l, 1938. A. sPNcER BRAKE MECHANISMFOR WINDING REELS Filed Deo. 2a, 1956 s 'sheets-sheet 3 all .vw www@ Patented Nov. l, 1938 UNITED STATES BRAKE MEcHANIsM Fon WINDING REELs Alvin Spencer, Whitinsville, Mass., assignor to Whitin Machine Works, Whitinsvlle, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 28, 1936, Serial No. 117,703

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a reel of the dresserf type such as is used in the preparation of yarn for warping. The purposes and generaloperation of such reels are well known but may be briey stated as followsz- Threads or yarn ends are brought to the reel from a great number of spools mounted in an adjacent Creel and are secured to a section of the drum or winding member, which is then rotated to wind the yarns on the drum. During the winding' operation, the entire reel is automatically traversed so that the yarns form a diamond-shaped section on one portion of the drum. Successive overlapping sections are thereafter added along the length of the drum'. When the drum is full, all of the yarns in all of the sections are simultaneously unwoundfrom the drum and are transferred to a 100m warp beam.

A reel of this general type is shown inthe prior patent to Thiel, No. 934,580.

It has been proposed to provide a warp stop motion for such reels, which will immediately stop the reel drum on breakage 4of one or more warp threads. Such a stop motion is shown for instance in the prior application. of Fulton Rindge, Serial No. 104,678, led October 8, 1936. This application discloses a brake mechanism controlled by a warp Vstop motion and operated through a solenoid on warp breakage and simultaneously with the opening of the driving motor circuit.

It is also desirable to apply a relatively lighter braking or tensioning force to the winding drum during the unwinding and beaming of the warp sections which have been Wound thereon.

It is the general object of my invention to provide improved braking or tensioning devices for the purpose indicated, by the use of which any desired resistance to backward or unwinding motion of the drum may be produced. This resistance is preferably in such amount as will cause the warp threads to be firmly wound on the loom warp beam and as will further prevent overrunning of the drum in an unwinding direction when rotation of the warp beam is stopped.

To the attainment of this object, I preferably provide one or more weighted members adapted to apply a desired resistance to drum rotation and manually movable to operative or inoperative positions. In the preferred form, each weighted member coacts with parts of the previously mentioned braking mechanism which is controlled by the warp stop motion.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

` A preferred form ofthe invention is shown in the. drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a reel eml bodying my improvements, taken alongthe line l-I in Fig. 2;

` Fig. 2 is an end elevation. of the reel, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View to be described;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevation of certain parts shown in Fig.2 which comprise my improvement;

Fig. 5 is a partial rear elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig'. 4c;k and Fig. 6 is a detail view, partly in section, looking in the direction' of the -arrow 6 in Fig. 5;

The reel to which IV have applied my invention comprises a drum I8 mounted on a shaft l l and driven from a motor M through suitable reduction gears l2 and i4. The drum lll has an enlarged conical portion l5 at one end, and the .yarns are wound thereon in diamond-shaped sections as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Brake members coact with brake flanges 2 I, preferably formed on the discs or spiders 22 which support the drum l0 on the shaft l I. The brake members 28 are pivotally connected in pairs as indicated at 25 (Fig. 2) and the free ends of the brake members 20 engage a flattened or 'slabbed off cam portion 26 (Fig. 6) of a collar 2l fixed on a brake shaft 28. i Y

The shaft 28 is mounted in xed bearings and is provided with an arm 30 (Fig. 4:) connected through a swivel member 3| and connecting rod 32 to a plunger 33 which is slidable in a solenoid coil 34. When the solenoid is energized through breakage of a warp thread, the plunger 33 is moved to the right in Fig. 4, thus rotating the shaft 2 8 and causing the cam portion 26 of the collar 21 to separate the brake members 20, `thereby applying braking' pressure to the flanges 2l. A spring 36 (Fig. 6) contracts the brake members 28 when they are released.

This brake mechanism is preferably duplicated at each end of the drum but the two brake mechanisms are operated simultaneously on occasion of warp breakage. For a more complete description of the construction and operation of the mechanism thus far described, reference is made to the Rindge application above identified.

In carrying out my improvements, I provide a lever 40 (Figs. 4 and 5) loosely mounted on the shaft 28 between the arm 30 previously described and a collar 4I. The lever 48 is preferably gradwinding yarn thereon, the lever 40 and weight W will be in the inoperative position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, with the setscrew 46 out of contact with the lug 50. The braking mechanism is thus entirely under control of the warp stop motion through the solenoid 34 during the operay tion of winding yarn on the drum.

When, however, yarn is to be unwound therefrom, the solenoid coil 34 will be necessarily deenergized and the usual brake-applying mechanism will be inoperative.

In order to secure a desired but relatively lighter resistance to backward motion of the drum during the unwinding operation, the operator swings the levers 46 and weights W to the position shown in Fig. 4 and in full lines in Fig. 2;

In this position, each weight W will act through its lever 40, screw 46, lug 56 and arm 30 to apply turning pressure to the associated shaft 23 and cam portion 26, thereby applying the brakes.

The weights W will be adjusted along the levers 40 to produce suflcient pressure to overcome the springs 36 and to apply the necessary resistance or tension to the drum l to retard the unwinding thereof. This resistance should be great enough to insure a firm and close winding of the warp threads on the loom warp beam, and also to prevent overrunning of the drum inra backward direction and loosening of the lthreads when rotation of the loom warp beam ceases abruptly.

The graduations on the levers 46 assist the operator in estimating the applied tension and also in equalizing the tension at both ends of the drum.

After the unwinding operation, the levers 40 and weights W are swung in the direction of the arrows a in Figs. 2 and 4 to their inoperative positions, where they remain during a subsequent iilling of the drum. The weights W when once set commonly require no further adjustment unless a change in operating conditions or in character of yarn occurs. d

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. In a reel, a winding drum, brakes for said drum, means to apply said brakes to stop the drum on warp breakage, and additional and independently acting means to apply said brakes to yieldingly resist backward rotation of said drum during the unwinding of yarn therefrom, said additional means being manually movable into and out of position to coact with said brakes while maintaining the adjustment of said additional means in all positions thereof, whereby the same yielding resistance is applied whenever said additional means is operatively positioned.

2. In a reel, a winding drum, brakes for said drum, means to apply said brakes to stop the drum on warp breakage, additional and independently acting means to yieldingly apply said brakes to resist backward rotation of said drum during unwinding of yarn therefrom, said additional means being manually movable to operative and inoperative positions, while maintaining the adjustment of said additional means in all positions thereof, whereby the same yielding resistance is applied whenever said additional means is operatively positioned and means to vary the resistance of said additional means.

3.*In a reel, a winding drum, brakes for said drum, means to apply said brakes to stop the drum on warp breakage, and additional and independently acting means to yieldingly apply said brakes to resist backward rotation of said drum during unwinding of yarn therefrom, said additional means including levers manually movable to operative and inoperative positions and weights adiustably mounted on and secured to said levers. 4. In a reel, a winding drum, brakes therefor, electro-magnetic means to apply said brakes on warp breakage, and additional independently `acting mechanical means to apply said brakes to provide yielding resistance to backward rotation of said drum during the unwinding of yarn therefrom, said latter means being manually movable to operative and inoperative positions while maintaining the adjustment of said additional meansin all positions thereof, whereby the same yielding resistance Vis applied whenever said additional means is operatively positioned.

ALVIN SPENCER. 

